Recent tragedies involving off-highway vehicles (OHVs) have prompted safety experts to call for increased caution and stricter regulations. In Etowah County, 15-year-old Branson Peppers was killed when his ATV collided head-on with a pickup truck. In Cherokee County, a young Georgia couple died in an overloaded vehicle carrying a father, young mother and seven children. The driver was speeding on the wrong side of the trail according to a crash report released by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
OHVs, popular among weekend warriors, attract hundreds to local parks. Some take part in hill climbing. Joey Morris of Summerdale, Alabama, enjoys a slower pace, saying, “We just like getting out looking at the deer and turkeys.” However, he acknowledges the risks, recalling his wife’s 2000 four-wheeler accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. “We’ve got the helmets, seatbelts; it doesn’t pay to go without it,” Morris said…